


Blue Neighbourhood

by oneofthreenerds



Category: Pentatonix, Superfruit
Genre: Coming Out, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-07-04 21:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneofthreenerds/pseuds/oneofthreenerds
Summary: The first time Mitch met Scott wasn’t anything spectacular.They were in the same second grade class. They didn’t sit next to each other, or even at the same table. In fact, Scott was in quite an awkward place for Mitch to look at him, so he didn’t.It wasn’t until Scott’s turn for Show and Tell that Mitch started paying attention to the other boy. Scott had brought in a book of songs he was currently learning. Other kids brought in things they liked, but none of them lit up as completely as Scott did.Mitch was enthralled. This boy seemed so in love with music and singing and Mitch wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything.





	1. Wild

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honour of Bloom coming out today, here's the first chapter of my Blue Neighbourhood AU. I'll try to update somewhat frequently. Enjoy!

**Part 1: Wild**

The first time Mitch met Scott wasn’t anything spectacular. 

They were in the same second grade class. They didn’t sit next to each other, or even at the same table. In fact, Scott was in quite an awkward place for Mitch to look at him, so he didn’t. 

It wasn’t until Scott’s turn for Show and Tell that Mitch started paying attention to the other boy. Scott had brought in a book of songs he was currently learning. Other kids brought in things they liked, but none of them lit up as completely as Scott did. 

Mitch was enthralled. This boy seemed so in love with music and singing and Mitch wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything.

The next time their teacher changed their seats, Mitch ended up in the seat next to Scott. The moment they were turned loose to do a worksheet, Mitch turned to Scott.

“What song are you working on now?”

Scott’s face split wide with a huge smile, eyes brightening as he started to explain all about Wackadoo Zoo. 

~

Now they were in high school and completely inseparable. After-school hours were spent at Scott’s house, lying next to each other on Scott’s bed, one textbook open in front of them. Weekends were spent at Mitch’s, curled on the couch in pyjamas, marathoning their favourite shows. 

The summer before senior year, nothing and everything changed. 

It started like normal. They play-fought over what movie to watch, ended up agreeing on something completely different, Scott made popcorn, Mitch watched from the couch. 

Something, though. Something was slightly different. Mitch couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but for some reason, he couldn’t focus on the movie. His eyes kept drifting back to Scott, watching him instead.

“Is there something wrong with my face? Why do you keep looking at me?”

Mitch snapped back into the present, turning back to the TV. “Nothing. Just zoning out.”

Scott leaned forward for the remote, pausing the movie. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird today.”

Mitch winced internally. He had been hoping that he could get away with it, but Scott had known him for far too long. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just tired, I think.” It was the lamest excuse he could have given, but maybe Scott would let it slide.

Scott furrowed his brow, but restarted the movie. 

A couple minutes later, he pulled Mitch against his side. “You know if anything’s bothering you, I’m here for you, right?”

“I know. I’ve known that for years, Scotty.”

“I know. Just a reminder.” Scott squeezed Mitch a little tighter. “Love you, bitch.”

“Love you, too, asshole.”

~

Mitch was scared.

No. Scratch that. Mitch was terrified. 

He knew he was gay. He had known that for years. But the small crushes (or attraction in general) he’d had in the past did not come close to how he felt right now. 

Mitch trusted Scott with everything. Scott was the first one he came out to, the one he went to when he needed advice on anything, the one who was there with ice cream and hugs for both celebration and heartbreak. 

But Scott wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a best friend. He  _ definitely _ wasn’t supposed to be the star of Mitch’s dreams, the center of every thought. 

It wasn’t even all sexual. Mitch thought he might actually have preferred if it were. At least then he could just chalk it up to hormones. But every moment was spent thinking about Scott’s sleepy smile or the way he lit up when he was discussing something he loved or the absolute determination he had to achieve his dreams. 

Mitch could feel himself softening whenever he remembered how it felt to be wrapped up in Scott’s arms, how it felt to be the only focus of Scott’s attention. 

What was he supposed to do?

~

“MITCH! I missed you so much!” 

Mitch startled awake, jarred by the blond blur that had jumped onto his bed. He scrambled for his blankets, almost dislodging Scott from where he had perched. 

“When did you get back? And why are you so cheerful?” Mitch rubbed at his eyes. 

“We landed at like eleven-ish? But we didn’t get home until like twelve-thirty.”

Mitch lifted his head to look at the clock. “So why are you here at ten, again? I was sleeping.”

“I missed you! I had to see you as soon as possible!”

Mitch dropped his head, glaring at Scott. “You could have come at a normal time.”

“You’re literally the only one still in bed.” Scott started to lie down on top of Mitch. 

Mitch sat up quickly, nearly hitting Scott’s head with his chin. “Well. You’re here now so I guess I have to get up. Let me get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Something flashed across Scott’s face, too quickly for Mitch to decipher. “Since when have you cared about decency?” Scott laughed. 

“Since now. Out! I’ll see you in like five minutes.”

Scott slid off the bed. “Yeah, no. Try twenty, queen. I’ll start the pancake batter.” 

Mitch collapsed back into bed, before reluctantly swinging his legs over the edge and onto the floor. He really needed to get a grip on himself. Scott was straight. There was no use pining after a straight boy, no matter how close and touchy they were. 

~

“Do you need help?” Mitch stepped into the kitchen, moving to the cupboards to pull out plates and utensils for the two of them. 

“Uh. Nah. I’ve got it. Do you guys have blueberries?”

Mitch set the plates on the counter, switching directions to check the fridge. “I don’t see any. We have chocolate chips, though?”

“Yesssss. Can you get me them?” 

“You can get them yourself. The batter won’t go bad if you stop stirring for a minute.”

Scott pouted, looking up at Mitch, making sad puppy eyes at him. “Mitchyyyyyy. I’m making you breakfast.”

“You didn’t have to. I could have made myself something.”

“I’m being nice. I came all the way over here to see you.”

“I didn’t ask for that either, Scott. You need to sleep more.”

Scott set down the whisk he had been using. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you being like this?”

Mitch’s heart missed a beat. “What?”

“Like that! Why are you being so aggressive? Did I do something wrong?”

“You woke me up!” Mitch could feel his heart rate speeding up. They were nearing territory that he did not want to talk about at all. He was tired; he couldn’t deal with this right now. 

“Mike said you went to bed at like ten. Mitch, what happened? Did I do something?”

Mitch dropped his gaze, focusing on Scott’s fingers gripping the edge of the counter. 

“I did do something, didn’t I? Mitch, what happened? How do I fix it?” Out of the corner of his eye, Mitch could see Scott’s shoulders drop.

“You didn’t do anything, Scott. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

“But you aren’t right now. Let me help or fix it or something.”

“You can’t, Scott.”

“Why not? Tell me what I need to change or fix or anything!”

“You can’t help! I need to fix this on my own.” Mitch wrapped his arms around his body, trying to physically hold himself together. 

“What’s wrong, Mitch. Just give me something. Please.”

“Why? I can deal with it alone.”

“Because you don’t  _ have _ to deal with it alone. I want to help you.”

“I’m a big boy, Scott. No matter how much you baby me, I can deal with my own problems.”

“I’m not doubting that you can. I’m just saying you don’t have to. I want to help, Mitch.”

“Well, I don’t need or want help, so can we just drop it?”

“Are you sure?”

Mitch was suddenly furious, “Yes, I’m fucking sure! What do you want to hear? I’m all sad because I’m fucking in love with you and you’re never going to feel the same? Fuck off!”

The silence that followed was deafening. 


	2. Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Mitch deal with the aftermath.

_ I’m fucking in love with you _ . 

Scott’s world narrowed down to those six words.  _ I’m fucking in love with you.  _

He needed to sit down or lie down or something because his entire world had just shifted. 

A gasping breath caught his attention, pulling him out of his thoughts. He focused on the sight in front of him, and felt his heart break. 

Mitch was curled into himself, arms locked around his waist, nails digging into his sides. He had lost all colour in his face and his breathing was far, far too fast. 

Scott rushed toward Mitch, gathering the smaller boy into his arms. “Mitchy? Can you hear me?”

Mitch didn’t respond. Scott carefully pulled at Mitch’s fingers, flattening them out against his side, and tucked Mitch under his chin. 

“Mitchy?” Scott guided them to the ground.

Mitch took a shuddering breath, curling up tighter against Scott. 

Scott placed a hand on the back of Mitch’s head, trying to ground him as best as he could. “It’s gonna be okay, Mitchy. Can you breathe with me?” He sped up his breaths slightly, making it easier for Mitch to match them, and slowed down gradually. 

Soon enough, Mitch pulled away, reaching his hands up to rub at his face. 

Scott caught them midway, using his own hands to wipe away Mitch’s tears. “Hey there. Can you stand back up?”

Scott watched for Mitch’s nod, before gently lifting them up and turning them back towards Mitch’s room. 

“Wait, what about-”

“The pancakes can wait, Mitchy. Then we can share them with your parents when they get back, too.”

Scott carefully settled Mitch in bed, before climbing up and curling around him. “You know I love you no matter what, right? I’m sorry I’m just a dumb straight boy, but you better know that you’re my very best friend.” He smiled down at Mitch. “Honestly, who else would I want to be around for more than like an hour, besides you. No one. You’re my most favourite ever.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“I don’t think there’s a single thing you can say that would make me genuinely angry at you. I really don’t.”

~

Mitch was asleep in his arms. 

Normally, Scott would love that his best friend was finally getting some well-deserved and needed rest and would try to nap with him, but as glad as he was that Mitch was finally sleeping, his mind was moving too fast for him to settle down as well.

Scott knew Mitch was gay. He had been there with ice cream and cuddles no matter which way Mike and Nel reacted. Luckily they had reacted well, and the ice cream was eaten in celebration. 

But more than anything Scott didn’t want to hurt his best friend. He was straight. Nothing good would come from Mitch having a crush on him. He would never be able to reciprocate and Mitch would be heartbroken and he really didn’t want to do that to his best friend.

But what could he do? Continuing on as normal would hurt Mitch because it would seem like he was just ignoring Mitch’s feelings even after he bared his soul. He couldn’t do that to Mitch.

Ignoring Mitch entirely was absolutely not an option; not only would Mitch be so unbelievably hurt, Scott didn’t think he would be able to survive it. He’d had Mitch by his side for ten years now; he couldn’t just change his entire life. 

Acknowledging it was the only other option but Scott didn’t want to accidentally lead Mitch on. Mitch knew he was straight, but he didn’t want to give the other boy any false hope, because that would just backfire so much. 

Acknowledging it seemed to be the only option. He would just make it clear that he couldn’t reciprocate. 

And his own dreams didn’t mean anything. Teens had hormones. They didn’t mean anything. 

~

“Hey, Scott.” Scott felt a hand run down his arm. “Figured you’d be in here. Should we finish the pancakes?”

He blinked awake, looking up at whoever was standing next to the bed. “What?” 

Nel patted Scott on the back. “You left the pancake batter out. Do you want us to make it for you now?”

“Oh. I can do it. Do you want any? I think we have enough.” Scott tried to slip his arm out from under Mitch’s head, gently as to not wake Mitch up by accident. 

“No, no. Don’t worry. You rest. I’ll come call you when they’re done.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”

“Of course. We’re already awake. They’ll be done soon, so maybe start waking Mitch up?”

“All right, Mom. Thank you.”

Nel smiled at him, patting his arm again, before leaving and closing quietly Mitch’s door behind her. 

Scott let out a sigh, sinking back into the pillows. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he supposed it wasn’t like he had planned to get up and do anything after Mitch fell asleep. 

Mitch. Scott looked back down at the boy, who was curled into a ball, back still pressed against Scott. It was a shame to wake him, but it was now - Scott glanced quickly at the clock on the nightstand - almost 11:30, so Mitch really should be up soon. 

Scott ran his free hand along Mitch’s back, rubbing over his shoulders and down his arm, retracing the line over and over. “Hey, Mitchy,” he whispered. 

Mitch didn’t react. Scott smiled softly. The poor thing must have been so exhausted.

“Mitchy. Come on. Time to wake up.”

Mitch whined, squeezing his eyes shut and nuzzling into Scott’s arm. 

“Your mom is making the pancakes. C’mon Mitch.”

Mitch froze, eyes opening and focusing on Scott. “Scott-”

“Hey, hey. We’ll talk. But pancakes first.” Scott finally slipped his arm out from under Mitch. “I’ll let you get ready, now. Come down to the kitchen soon.”

He got up off the bed, pausing for a second to look down at Mitch.

“Scotty?”

“Hm?” Scott smoothed a stray lock of hair away from Mitch’s eye. 

“You’re my best friend.”

Scott beamed down at him. “You’re my best friend. Always will be.” He made his way to the door. “Don’t take too long, or I’m gonna eat all the pancakes!”

~

After they scarfed down the pancakes - they were growing teen boys, after all - the two retreated back to Mitch’s room.

“Mitchy.”

“Can we not talk about this? Let’s just go play video games or something.”

“Can I just say one thing, first?” Scott waited for Mitch’s reluctant nod. “You’re the most important thing in my world. We’re gonna be okay.”

“Okay. You done now? Because I really don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Yeah. I’m done.”

“Okay. Good. Let’s go play Mario Kart.” Mitch stood up, stretching his arms above his head.

“Lose at Mario Kart, you mean, because I’m gonna kick your ass.” Scott followed Mitch out of the room.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”

“You know I’m right.”

“Sure, queen.”

~

They played for a couple hours, Scott winning and laughing every time Mitch pouted as he won again. Every time he offered to play something else, though, Mitch would shoot him down, more determined to beat him. 

“Mitchyyyy. I’m hungryyyyy.” Scott whined, flopping on the floor, throwing his arms dramatically out to his sides. “Can we go get food?”

“Go find something from the kitchen.” Mitch didn’t look away from where he had been scrolling through the set-up menu.

“I want Whataburger, though. Can we go?”

“There’s perfectly good food here. And it’s healthier.”

“I’m craving though, Mitchy. I’ll pay for you?”

Scott felt Mitch wavering. “I’ll even let you play your weird music on the way there.”

“Hey!”

“Please, Mitch?” Scott tried to make his eyes as soft and wide as he could.

“All right, fine. Jeez. Put those away.” 

“Thank you!” Scott jumped up, running for the garage door. “Come on. Come on.”

“All right, all right. Lemme just let Mom know.”

Scott waited impatiently as Mitch retreated into the house to find his mom, pushing him out the door as soon as he got back. 

~

They drove in a comfortable silence, more than happy to exist together.

Scott parked, jumping out of the car and looping his arm through Mitch’s once he got out as well. “Whatcha gonna get?”

“Probably just fries.” Mitch pulled at Scott’s arm, forcing him to slow down to Mitch’s stride.

“Just fries? You don’t need hold back just cause I’m paying.”

“Nah. Just not very hungry. We just ate.”

“That was  _ hours _ ago.” Scott pushed open the door with his free hand.

“Like two, girl.”

“Well, I’m hungry so I’m gonna get actual food.”

“You do that.”

As they stood in line, Scott noticed the people standing in front of them glancing back at them every so often. He didn’t think too much of it. His height seemed to always draw attention. 

Finally, it was their turn to order. Scott ordered quickly for both of them, and then led Mitch over to wait off to the side of the pick-up counter. Scott kept an ear out for the order numbers, but filtered out everything out. 

“134!”

Scott glanced at the receipt.

“Is that us?” Mitch leaned over his arm to look. “No. We’re 136.”

They waited a little longer, Scott promising to go home and continue to beat him at Mario Kart. 

“136!”

Scott stepped forward, accidentally brushing against the people who had been waiting in front of them. 

“I’m so s-”

“Watch where you’re going, fag.”

Scott froze. “I’m so sorry.”

“Did you not hear him? Get the fuck away,” another joined in.

Scott felt Mitch grab his hand. 

“Let’s go,” he murmured.

“But Mitchy-”

“Come on.”

Scott numbly followed behind Mitch, distantly hearing the group tossing insults behind them.

Never had Scott been so hyper-aware that being gay was not acceptable. 


	3. Too Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott is a mess and a half.

A couple months passed, summer ended, school started, and the boys were soon swamped with homework and dreaded college applications. But no matter how busy he was, Scott couldn’t shake the interaction from earlier in the summer.

He also couldn’t shake the dreams. They were creeping into his real life. He kept catching himself looking at  _ boys _ , eyes dropping to places he shouldn’t be looking. 

There was nothing wrong with being gay, nothing wrong with liking boys in general. He just didn’t. Right?

~

“Scooter. You’re staring.”

Scott snapped to attention. “What?”

Kirstie gave him a blank look. “I asked you to help me with my bio lab, not to sit next to you while you stared at Mitch.”

“I’m not staring! I just zoned out!”

“Ohhhkay.” Her eyebrows raised, but she turned back to her lab write-up. 

“I wasn’t staring, Kirstie.” 

“I already said ‘okay.’ Now can you explain to me what this means?” She pointed to a question.

Scott focused on the words in front of him, chewing on his lip. “Topoisomerase is an enzyme. It makes sure that DNA doesn’t overwind during replication by cutting the strands as it unwinds.” He watched as she scribbled down the answer. “Hey, Kirstie?”

“Yeah?”

“Why is Mitch sitting over there? He hasn’t sat with us for lunch in ages.”

Kirstie looked up at Scott before shifting her gaze to Mitch, who was a couple tables over. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him?”

Scott wrinkled his nose. “That would be weird.”

“Why?”

“I’m not his boyfriend. I don’t have a say in what he does.”

“I didn’t say- I didn’t say you had to demand him to come back, Scott. You can just ask him.”

“I just said that was weird!” Scott heard his voice go high. He cleared his throat, looking away from Kirstie. “I don’t want him to think I’m trying to control him.”

“I think that’s the last thing you need to worry about, but it’s okay. He’ll come back soon. He can’t survive away from you for very long.”

Scott’s head whipped back around. “What?”

Kirstie stared at him with wide eyes. “I just meant that you guys are best friends? Is something wrong?”

Scott sighed, folding his arms and resting his face down in them. “Can you come over this weekend? Don’t tell Mitch?”

“No. I’m coming over tonight.”

Scott let his shoulders relax, not even noticing they’d tensed up. “But what about Mom?”

“Don’t worry.” Scott peeked at Kirstie, who was typing something on her phone. “I’m asking if I can come over after school.”

“Kirstie!”

“What?”

“You’re asking my mom if you can come over?”

“Well, yeah. She knows who I am. And if I phrase it like an emergency then she’ll probably let me.” Kirstie turned her phone toward Scott, letting him see the message.  _ Would it be alright if I came over after school today? I need to talk to Scott. _

As Scott watched, a new message popped up.  _ Of course, honey. Let us know if there’s anything we can do! _

“She likes you more than me.” Scott pouted.

Kirstie smiled. “Yep! Now explain what this one means.”

~

“So. What’s up?” Kirstie settled on the end of Scott’s bed, a bowl of chips in her lap.

Scott grimaced and shrugged, settling down next to her. “I dunno.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

“What!” Scott let his eyes wander around his room, avoiding Kirstie’s gaze as much as he could.

“You wouldn’t have asked me to come over if you didn’t have, like, some idea of what was going on. Give me some credit, Scoot. I’ve known you for like four years.”

Scott shrugged a shoulder. “I guess.” He shifted some more, hyperconscious of Kirstie’s eyes on him. 

He slid off the bed to collect their backpacks, tossing Kirstie’s next to her and pulling his laptop out of his own. “Do you still need help with bio?”

Kirstie made no move toward her backpack. “I think I’ve got it, but I’ll ask you if I have any other questions.” 

“Sounds good.” Scott sat back down on the bed, opening the composition project he’d been working on for theory.

They sat for a little longer; Scott studiously ignored how Kirstie was still staring at him. Finally, she sighed and reached toward her backpack. 

Scott hummed to himself under his breath, trying to figure out what he wanted his melody to sound like, tapping his finger against his laptop to make sure he stayed on beat. 

He couldn’t get very far, though. 

He knew what Kirstie wanted to talk about, of course he did. He was the one who had asked her to come over, after all. 

So maybe he had been acting weird about Mitch, but that was only because Mitch had been ignoring him and he missed him.

He  _ really _ needed to work on his acting skills if he couldn’t even convince himself that that was his only problem.

But what was he supposed to do? 

He and Mitch had such a special friendship. He didn’t want to run the risk of ruining anything, but it looked like something already had.

“Scott?”

Scott blinked into awareness. “Yeah?”

“You okay? You zoned out for a moment there.”

“Yeah.” Scott paused, clasping his hands in his lap. “When did Mitch come out?”

Kirstie didn’t hesitate. “Sophomore year.”

“Yeah.”

“Scott, are you sure you’re okay?”

“How did he do it?”

Scott watched Kirstie set aside her work out of the corner of his eye. “He told you and me first because he knew we’d be okay with it, and then we helped him plan how to tell Mike and Nel. You waited in his room for him when he went to tell them, and then you guys pigged out on ice cream without me.”

Scott’s eyes snapped to her. “Hey! You couldn’t be there. It’s not like we did it without your knowledge.”

Kirstie softened. “I’m just teasing you. What’s up, Scotty.”

“It was weird after.” Scott’s gaze moved back to middle distance. “I don’t remember how my parents found out - Mike probably told them, I’m not sure - but it was so weird. Mom was okay, but Dad was just weird.” 

Scott felt Kirstie’s hand rest on his back, a warm reminder that she was there.

“He wouldn’t ask about Mitch, wouldn’t talk about Mitch, wouldn’t say anything when I brought him up in conversation. Which was, like, a lot. I talk about Mitch a lot. I can’t help it; he’s my best friend.”

He noted absently that Kirstie was rubbing her hand up and down his back. He hadn’t even noticed he was shaking.

“It was horrible, Kirst. I don’t want to do that again. I can’t.”

“Maybe he’ll have adjusted. It’s been a couple years since Mitch came out. Maybe he’s come to terms with it and changed his opinion.”

“But what if he hasn’t? Then what do I do?”

“You’re his son, babe. He loves you no matter what; I can guarantee you that. It might take him a little bit to get used to it, but you have me and Mitch and your mom and Lindsay and Lauren and so many other people at school who will support you. We love you, Scotty. It’ll be okay.”

“Kirstie?” 

Kirstie turned toward him, sliding one hand down his side to rest on his leg. 

Scott took a deep breath. “I think- I think- um-” He shook his head.

“It’s okay, Scott.”

“I think- I think I might be gay.” He refused to look up.

A moment later, he felt Kirstie’s arms wrap around him. “Okay. Thank you for trusting me. I love you so much, Scotty.”

“Love you, too.”

“Hey, now we can talk about boys together!”

Scott let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah, but bio first?”

“Ugh, fine. Bio first.”


	4. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitch starts the conversation they need to have.

Kirstie left before dinner, despite protests that she wasn’t intruding, offering a generic have-things-at-home-to-do excuse.

Scott stood at the door, watching her back down the driveway and start towards home. Normally, he’d wave and or jokingly chase after her car, but today he couldn’t muster up the energy to do more than just stand there. 

Kirstie hadn’t forced him to say anything. She’d just gently nudged him to say what he wanted to say. But he still felt too exposed, especially outside. 

He stepped back into the house, heading straight for his room. He probably should have gone to dinner, but he wasn’t sure he would have been able to stomach it. 

He’d just come out to someone. Not just someone; Kirstie. He trusted Kirstie not to tell anyone else before he was ready, but it was still daunting to know that he couldn’t pretend to hide it anymore. 

And now he had to tell all his friends and his parents and sisters. He wasn’t so worried about his school friends. They were friends with enough of the drama department that being LGBT wasn’t unusual anymore. His sisters and mom would be fine, too. They had been fine when Mitch came out, had welcomed him easily. 

It was really only his dad he was worried about. 

He’d told Kirstie that his dad had just shut down, but in reality it had been so much worse.

It was true that his dad had stopped bringing up Mitch, but it wasn’t just that he didn’t respond when Scott talked about him. Every time Mitch’s name came up in conversation, his dad’s nose would wrinkle just a bit and his eyebrows would furrow just enough, before being very consciously smoothed out. 

But Scott could always catch those few moments of disgust. 

It had hurt so bad. Mitch hadn’t changed at all; he was still the same old Mitch that got tired of Scott’s bullshit and sang too much Lady Gaga and loved his millions of cats. 

And now, what if that happened to him? What if he could see his dad hate him? What then?

Scott shuddered. 

He would survive it, that would be all okay, but it would still hurt more than anything else in the world.

~

School the next day was hell.

It felt like every person passing him was looking at him strangely, as if they could see a sign with “gay” written in big letters floating above his head. He knew that wasn’t reasonable - something to do with the spotlight effect - but it certainly felt real.

Kirstie stuck by his side throughout the day, but Mitch was nowhere to be seen.

It hurt a bit. He really could have used some support from his best friend, but he’d survive. It wasn’t like he’d tried to reach out to Mitch.

The day passed without any hiccups, and as much as Scott logically knew that would happen, he still breathed out a sigh of relief as he slumped into the driver’s seat of his car at the end of the day. 

Suddenly, the passenger door opened. “Hey, queen.”

Scott’s eyes snapped up to meet Mitch’s, too shocked to even smile. “Hi?”

“Oh, don’t look so excited,” Mitch drawled sarcastically, pulling the seatbelt across his chest and buckling it. “My ego can’t stand it.”

“Of course I’m happy, but. What are you doing here?”

“Missed you, babe. I feel like I haven’t seen you around at all.”

“And whose fault is that?” Scott muttered under his breath. 

“What?”

“Nothing. I just missed you, too, Mitchy.”

Scott watched as Mitch smiled and settled back into the seat, seemingly unaware of how tense Scott felt. 

“So am I driving you home or are you coming to my house?”

“Home, but you’re coming in with me.”

Scott didn’t want to go home - didn’t want to face his parents - but being alone with Mitch sounded almost just as bad. What if he said something, what if  _ Mitch _ said something, what if what if what if.

“Scotty.”

Scott jerked to attention.

“I need you to not be distracted while you drive.”

“Maybe- maybe you should just go home, Mitch. I don’t think I feel so good.”

“Bullshit.”

Scott blinked at him.

“You can be a good actor, but I know you better than that, Scott.”

“What?” This really didn’t sound good.

“We’ll talk at home. This isn’t really a school parking lot discussion.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” Scott tried to joke. That was normal, right? That was something they did? He couldn’t tell anymore; everything was weird. He was in the middle of one of the most important years of his life, but he could hardly remember why he had applied to which schools, let alone what he’d written about.

Mitch sighed, but gave him a small smile. “You’re stuck with me, babe. It’s just not something to do where anyone could hear.”

Scott hummed a reluctant affirmation, slowly shifting into reverse. He paused again, avoiding Mitch’s eyes. “I have a lot of-”

“Shut up and drive, Hoying.”

~

If Scott thought school that day was hell on earth, then the drive to Mitch’s house was the Fields of Punishment on earth, or whatever place that was worse than hell. 

His thoughts were running a constant loop of  _ Mitch Mitch Mitch Mitch _ . Mitch was here, in his car, for the first time since let himself admit he was anything but straight. Mitch was  _ right there _ . Holy fuck. There was no way he could relax.

“Sooooooo. Have you finished applying?”

“What?”

“To college, Scott. Jesus, you’re a mile away. Please don’t kill me.”

Scott hesitated, checking his mirrors before making a turn. “Yeah. I’m all done. UT and the California schools were all due by the first.”

“Oh. That’s good! I have a couple due at the beginning of January, so I have a couple more weeks to finish my essays.”

They lapsed back into an uncomfortable silence. This was horrible. They’d never been this awkward around each other in the time Scott could remember. Had Mitch decided they couldn’t be friends anymore? Had he figured out Scott’s dreams? Oh fuck, what if something happened last time they had a sleepover?

“Scott!”

Scott focused in time to slam on the brakes, throwing them both against their seatbelts but managing to narrowly avoid rear-ending the car in front of them.

“Holy shit. Stop trying to kill me. This is not the way I want to go.” Mitch released his death grip on the door handle.

“I’m so sorry, Mitchy. I don’t know what’s gotten into me today.” He hated all this lying to Mitch.

“Well, that makes two of us. Just get us home, please. We’re almost there.”

Scott made sure to pay careful attention for the rest of the drive, pulling into the Grassis’ driveway with no further complications. Mitch immediately climbed out of the car, throwing his backpack over one shoulder and making his way up to the front door.

Scott took a deep breath and followed Mitch into the house. 

He just hoped was ready for whatever Mitch had to say.


	5. For Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy album release! It's Christmas!

Mitch led the way into the house, trying not to glance back to make sure that Scott was actually following. He couldn’t stop him from leaving, but he hoped that their friendship - or whatever it was since Scott apparently couldn’t trust him - would be enough to convince Scott to follow him.

He heard the door shut behind him and let out a silent breath of relief. Scott still trusted him enough. They could get over this bump in the road.

Mitch moved around the kitchen, pulling out juice and snacks for them. It would probably be good for them to have some sort of distraction and Scott was always hungry, anyway. 

He turned around, eyes falling on Scott still standing awkwardly by the door.

“Take off your shoes and sit on the couch. This is just as much your house as it is mine.”

Scott nodded slowly, moving even slower. Mitch set the food and drinks on the table and settled on one of the couches, folding his legs up under him. The other boy gingerly perched on the other couch.

Mitch studied the boy across from him for a bit. “Why didn’t you come talk to me?”

Scott blinked. Mitch wasn’t sure that he was aware of how wide and panicked his eyes were. “What?”

“Last week.” Mitch paused to let him answer, but nothing came. “You seemed bothered by something, so I gave you some space to figure it out, but I wasn’t expecting you to not talk to me for a full week. I missed you, Scotty.” He pouted.

“Oh.”

“What’s ‘oh.’”

“I dunno. I thought you were upset with me or didn’t want to see me or something.”

Mitch furrowed his eyebrows. “Babe, no. You’re always my number one.”

Scott shrugged.

“Scott, oh my god. You have to know that.” He moved to the other couch, needing to be closer to Scott. “You’re one of the most important people in the world to me, right up there with my parents and Jessa.”

“Yeah?”

“Of  _ course _ . Babe, I’ve known you for like a million years. You’re my everything.”

“Can- can I have a hug?” Mitch’s heart broke at how small Scott’s voice was.

“Come here, angel.” Mitch gathered the taller boy into his arms, squeezing him tight. Scott was always strong for him; now it was time for him to be strong for Scott. He held on tight as broad shoulders shook, whispering a constant stream of love and affection.

Eventually, Scott calmed and the tears stopped, but neither made any move to separate.

“Mitchy?” Scott mumbled into Mitch’s shoulder.

“Yeah, honey?”

“You were right that there was something bothering me.”

“Do you want to tell me?”

Mitch felt Scott draw a deep breath before pulling away. “Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Mitch waited patiently as Scott gathered himself. It couldn’t be anything too bad, since the Hoyings hadn’t contacted his parents, so he was content to give Scott all the time he needed.

Scott took another breath, obviously steeling himself. “I’m- gay.”

“Oh.” Well, whatever Mitch had been expecting, this was not it at all. But if Scott were gay, that meant that- He cut off his train of thought. No need to get excited. Just because Scott was gay did not mean anything.

“Is that okay?” Scott asked anxiously. 

Mitch wrenched himself back into reality. “Of course it’s okay, Scotty. I’m gay, you know. I’m not about to say other people can’t be.”

“I know, but I was always the straight one.”

“Nah, Kirstie is the straight one, if we have to have someone.” Mitch hesitated slightly. “You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to-”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

He rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but what made you realise?

As Mitch watched Scott’s face turn redder and redder, he realised that maybe he shouldn’t have asked. What if it was someone that had bullied them? Or someone that Mitch hated? Or someone in their group at school, and Mitch would have to see them in class and be reminded that the love of his life had a crush on someone else.

“Please don’t freak out?”

Mitch mentally multiplied the chances of any those being true by two.

“Well, uh.”

Mitch dug his nails into his palm, bracing himself for whatever came next.

“It was-” Scott took a deep breath. “Itwasyou.”

Mitch blinked owlishly. 

“I didn’t mean to! I guess you were just always there and then that day during the summer and it just made me think a lot and then I couldn’t stop thinking and I didn’t know what to do because I thought I was straight and I didn’t want to lead you on but I started having these dreams and it just all spiralled out of control and-”

“Scotty. Breathe.”

“Oh yeah.” Scott took an exaggerated breath. “Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad. I could never be mad at you. Just give me a moment to process, okay?”

Mitch watched Scott fidget, resisting the urge to reach out and hold his hands in his own. Scott, the person he was pretty sure he was halfway to in love with, had just confessed that he realised he was gay because of Mitch. His heart was ready to beat of his chest. This was all of his dreams come to life. 

But surely Scott wouldn’t be ready for a relationship. He was just realising his sexuality, for fuck’s sake. There was no way he wanted a boyfriend already.

“Mitchy?”

Mitch brought his eyes up to meet Scott’s. “You know I’m in love with you, right?”

Scott visibly relaxed. “I mean, I hoped you still were. But it’s been a while and I wasn’t completely sure, so I didn’t want to say anything.”

“Well, I still am. Right now, I’m just trying not to force you into a relationship with me because there’s no way you’re ready yet.” Mitch wasn’t sure how he was saying this all so calmly. His heart was racing and he was sure he was shaking, but his voice was steady. 

“I am! I’m ready.”

“You just came out. And you only came out to me because I cornered you.”

“Because I was worried about you finding out!”

“And exactly how does that prove you’re ready?”

“I guess it doesn’t. But I am! You’ve always been my everything, Mitch. This is just another step. I’ll be good for you.”

He seemed genuine, Mitch supposed. That was a good sign. “We’ll go slow, okay?”

Scott nodded frantically. “We can go slow if you want to.”

“Okay.” This seemed incredibly backwards. Mitch sighed. “Okay.”


	6. Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year continues and so do Scott and Mitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the prewritten chapters I have, and since uni is kicking my ass, I haven't gotten as far as I'd like in the next one. I'll do my best to have the chapter out in two weeks but it may have to come later than that.

The next couple of months were a dream.

They told Kirstie - Mitch was positive he lost some of the cells in his ears when she squealed louder than anything else he’d ever heard in his life - who insisted on celebrating all together. That consisted of really just another normal get together, but this time, Mitch got to tuck himself under Scott’s arm the way he’d always wanted to. 

A couple weeks into their relationship, Scott worked himself up to coming out to his parents while Mitch waited upstairs, anxiously staring at the box of brownies he’d brought. He didn’t hear any yelling, which presumably was a good thing, but he didn’t take a full breath until Scott came bounding up the stairs, beaming and breathlessly declaring that it was all okay and his parents weren’t upset at all. 

Scott was a great boyfriend, just as he promised. Even as stress picked up for Mitch, with last minute deadlines for college applications approaching quickly, Scott had been unfailingly attentive. He had been there with chocolates and candies and answers to all of Mitch’s questions about his essays when Mitch needed them. He had lured Mitch away from his computer with the promise of cuddles and kisses whenever Mitch floundered.

He credited Scott, in part, for his acceptance into UT. 

Scott had gotten in automatically, since the giant nerd was in the top 7% of their year, but Mitch had had to submit an actual application. Scott had spent countless hours with him, refining and revising his application to present himself as well as he could. And he’d gotten in.

When Mitch told Scott, Scott had pulled him into a hug and spun him around the kitchen, and then had taken him out to celebrate with a fancy dinner and a movie.

Mitch honestly couldn’t remember much about the movie they’d gone to see. He had sprawled out on the seats next to him and Scott had let him lean back against him. Scott had wrapped an arm around Mitch’s shoulders, leaving his hand dangling on Mitch’s chest. Mitch had reached up to hold the hand, a smile stretching across his face when Scott laced their fingers together. For the rest of the movie, he was distracted by the warm and sturdy chest against his back and soft brush of Scott’s thumb against his hand.

Mitch noticed that he was cagier at school, pulling back from the affection that he gave freely when they were at home. When he asked about it, Scott just shrugged, mumbling under his breath.

Mitch was okay with it. He was the one who wanted to go slow, just in case (and they were indeed moving very slowly, sticking to chaste kisses and cuddling no matter how much their teenage libidos protested). He remembered being in the closet, how even when he’d justified being gay to himself, he was still scared of what other people would say. They lived in the middle of Texas, for fuck’s sake, of course he was wary.

But other times, he seemed to be more comfortable with himself. Like when he came running out of the cafeteria, jumped over the railing of the ramp down the quad and flung himself into Mitch.

Mitch grunted, throwing out his arms to catch himself from falling. “Hi, Scott.”

“Hey, angel.” Scott nuzzled into the side of Mitch’s head, pressing a discrete kiss on his hairline.

Mitch felt himself blush and tried desperately to compose himself, but when he looked at Scott and his beaming smile, he gave it up as an impossible task.

“You look good today. Is there an occasion?”

Mitch looked down at his simple button down and skinny jeans. “No, just wanted to wear something other than a tee shirt.”

“Well, you look really good. My baby is a model.”

Mitch blushed harder. “Stop it! I’m just a normal boy.”

“No, you aren’t. You could be on all the biggest runways in Paris and Milan and New York, I’m sure of it.”

“I hate you.” There was no heat behind his words.

“No, you don’t!” Scott sing-songed. “You love me!”

“Alright, you are  _ not _ allowed to use that against me anymore. I’m taking it back.”

Scott pouted. “But Mitchy.”

“Nope. You’re too late. It’s taken back. I don’t love you anymore.” Mitch batted Scott’s grabby away from him.

“That’s fine, I guess. I’ll just ask someone else who actually loves me to prom.”

“Wait.” Mitch twisted to look up at Scott. “Prom?”

“Yeah? The thing at the end of the year that we pay way too much money for to just get dressed up and dance around in a gross, sweaty room with the people we hate?”

Mitch rolled his eyes. “I know what prom is, asshole. I’m just surprised you want to go with me.”

“Wait, what?” Scott pushed Mitch away from him, looking at him properly. His eyebrows were furrowed and Mitch wanted to reach up and smooth away the wrinkles. “What do you mean I wouldn’t want to go with you? Who else would I go with?”

“I don’t know. Kirstie? Any other girl?”

Scott sobered a litte. “I won’t lie to you; I considered it. But I would have spent the whole night miserable and waiting to get back to you, and you definitely wouldn’t go out and dance with people if I weren’t there to force you to.” He forced a small smile onto his face. “It’s the last big thing of senior year. I want to do it together.”

Mitch could feel himself melting, shifting closer to Scott again. “Of course, baby. We can go together.”

~

“Mitchy!”

Mitch cut off his conversation with Kirstie, turning to see a blond mass flying toward him. He let out a soft grunt as the boy barrelled into him. He caught Kirstie’s eyes over Scott’s shoulder and rolled his eyes, mouthing a silent apology. She shrugged, used to it at this point.

“What’s up, Scoot?”

Scott pulled away, positively glowing with happiness. “I got in!”

“Got into where?” Kirstie asked.

“USC! I got into the pop music program for voice! It’s super competitive, but I did it!”

Kirstie replied, probably with some sort of congratulations, but Mitch was too busy throwing his arms around Scott waist and hugging him tight to pay attention. “I’m so proud of you, baby. I know how much you wanted this.”

Scott beamed down at him. “Thank you! Can we go out tonight to celebrate?”

Mitch glanced at Kirstie, who rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling. He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but it didn’t seem to be bad. 

“Mitchy, we can go wherever you want, I promise.”

“Oh, fuck you. You already know where I want to go.”

Scott’s smile turned sheepish. “Yeah, we might already have a reservation for seven tonight.”

Mitch glanced at Kirstie again, who rolled her eyes again when they made eye contact. “Okay, baby. You’ll come pick me up?”

“Of course. I gotta go to class now, but I’ll see you at lunch.” He started down the hallway. “Bye, guys!” he called over his shoulder.

Mitch turned back to Kirstin as she huffed out a breath. 

“I don’t think he said one word to me. He only has eyes for you.”

Mitch pursed his lips. “I’m sorry. He loves you; I know he does.”

“Oh, I’m not doubting that. But he’s completely gone for you. It’s adorable, even if it’s a little annoying when I disappear.”

“Well,” Mitch looped his arm through hers, starting to pull her towards their first class, “I see you with little sparkles dancing around your head, so I’ll never be able to ignore you.”

“Shut up,” she laughed, “I’ll kick your ass.”

Mitch blew her a kiss with his free hand. “Can’t wait, sweetheart.”


	7. Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senior year comes to a close.

“You didn’t have to pay for your own celebration,” Mitch complained, tugging on Scott’s hand.

“I have a job. It’s fine.” 

“So? We could have split it or something. You didn’t have to pay for all of it.”

Scott looked down at the smaller boy. “It’s fine, Mitchy.”

Mitch pouted, tugging on Scott’s hand again.

“Oh, come here.” Scott pulled him into his chest as they reached the car, rocking them from side to side. Mitch strugged briefly, but, after a moment, sighed and sank into his chest. “Thank you for being patient with me, Mitchy. Sorry that I’m going so far away for school next year.”

Scott felt more than heard the soft breath Mitch let out. “It’s okay, baby. It’s your dream and I couldn’t be more proud of you.

Mitch squeezed him tighter before wriggling out of his arms and rounding the car to open the passenger seat door. Scott let him go, arms falling limply by his side. 

Dinner was great; he loved being able to treat Mitch like a queen. But he hadn’t missed the looks from the couple behind Mitch - the glances that were probably supposed to be subtle, the quiet whispering after the first glance, the way the woman yanked the man’s hand down when he tried to flag a server.

He hadn’t brought it up to Mitch, didn’t want to stress him out or ruin what was supposed to be a celebration, but even if this couple were more reserved, there would be others who did not have the same qualms. 

“Baby?”

Scott blinked, unfurling his hands from the fists he hadn’t realised he’d made.

“Are we gonna go home?”

“Wait, get out of the car for a second.”

“Why?” Mitch whined. “I wanna go home and cuddle.”

“C’mon, Mitchy. For me?” Scott popped the trunk, looking down at the poster and flowers and taking a deep breath before carefully picking them up.

“Fine.” Mitch stretched the word into two syllables, reluctantly sliding out of the car. “What do you- oh.  _ Oh. _ ”

“I know it’s not the most original idea but I wanted to give you some sort of proper promposal.”

Mitch gingerly took the flowers and poster from him, putting them back in the trunk and throwing himself into Scott’s now empty arms. “Of course, Scotty. You didn’t have to ask again. Can I kiss you?”

Something inside Scott tensed up, but he forced it to relax. They’d been kissing for a while now; he couldn’t let one weird encounter at dinner affect how he lived his life. He leaned down to press a chaste kiss to Mitch’s lips, pulling away even as Mitch tried to kiss him again. “Didn’t you want to go home?”

Mitch pouted, but obediently climbed back into the car. Scott closed his eyes, breathing out a quiet sigh, before slamming the trunk shut and getting into the car.

The drive home was silent, but Scott could feel Mitch’s eyes on him. He probably wasn’t hiding his feelings very well - everyone always said he wore his heart on his sleeve - but he was grateful that Mitch didn’t bring it up. He just needed to figure it out.

~

Prom came and went.

It was fine, Scott supposed. His own standard black tux paled in comparison to Mitch in a stunning fitted royal blue. The actual event was kind of gross - too many kids in too small a space, people grinding on each other all over the place, condoms found in the bathroom - and the sheer amount of noise and number of people made Mitch anxious. Scott didn’t want to leave Mitch sitting at their table alone, no matter how much he told him to go dance with their friends, so he spent most of the evening sitting, too.

If he were being honest, that was probably the best part of the whole evening. He got to sit with Mitch and talk about nothing in particular and watch everyone else make complete fools of themselves. He’d certainly collected some pictures of Kirstie that could probably be used as blackmail.

A close runner-up for best part of the night was post-prom. They forwent the school-sponsored post prom, and instead all met up at Scott’s. 

They shed their formal clothes together, choosing the comfort of soft pyjamas. Mitch laughed so hard when Kirstie got stuck in her dress that he almost tripped stepping out of his own pants, setting off a round of giggles in all of them. 

Together, they dragged all the extra mattresses down from the bedrooms upstairs, laying them out on the living room floor in front of the TV. The rest of the night consisted of Scott winning almost all of the rounds of Mario Kart - the ones he lost were due to pure cheating from Mitch - and cuddling while they watched a movie. 

Mitch fell asleep first and Scott looked away from the movie to watch him instead.

“Scott?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s up?”

Scott turned to look at Kirstie, instead. “What?”

“You’re being weird.”

“I am?”

She sighed. “Scott, every time he moved closer to you, you pulled me closer to you, too. And I don’t think you initiated any of the kisses, and I know you’re a prude,” she rolled her eyes at his disgruntled protest, “but you’re not  _ that _ much of a prude.”

Scott opened his mouth to respond, not entirely sure what he was going to say. He closed it again as Mitch stirred, rolling closer to him and nuzzling his arm with a soft sigh. “Nothing’s wrong, Kirst. Everything’s fine.”

~

Things returned to normal, for the most part. 

Mitch went to camp, like he did every summer, even though he complained it meant less time with Scott.

Scott spent his time alternating between his new job at the library and sitting at home writing songs or watching anything that caught his attention on Netflix. His pile of things to pack for California had grown tremendously by the time Mitch got back from camp, and Scott could feel him eyeing it unhappily every time he came over. Scott tried to get them out of the house, but the scrutiny from public Texas was also extremely uncomfortable. 

They ended up spending most of their time tucked away in the back of the library, a corner of the adult non-fiction section that people rarely frequented. Scott clung to Mitch, hyper aware that each day was closer to their last.

What would happen when he was in California and Mitch was still here? What would happen to them?


End file.
